Coverage

Mitchell’s Ring of Honor Report! (3/24/18)

Published

6 years ago

March 30, 2018

Steven Mitchell

ROH WRESTLING TELEVISION, Episode 340

All images courtesy of the Fite.TV app and streaming service

OFFICIAL RESULTS

WOH Championship Tournament, Quarterfinal Match: Kelly Klein VS Mandy Leon; Kelly wins and advances to the semifinals.
The Boys VS Hangman Page & Marty Scurll; Page & Scurll win.
Scorpio Sky VS Flip Gordon; Gordon wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Kingdom are in Vegas!

Finally, after weeks and weeks of crying conspiracy, Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan and Vinnie Marseglia were granted their rematch for the ROH World Six Man Tag Championships! But it wasn’t because they were following the rules or earned it, it was because they attacked the “Hung Bucks” during the 16th Anniversary Show!

Taven speaks, saying that he “is not a man that likes to repeat himself.” But there is a Kingdom Conspiracy in ROH! The 16th Anniversary Show proved as much, when Cody was allowed to bring his wife, a mascot and “a whole damn circus” ringside for their grudge match, but TK and Vinnie get banned! But the conspiracy ends now! Taven vows the Kingdom will get back the titles they never truly lost. “And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it!” But that’s when the Enforcer, Bully Ray, appears!

Bully walks to the ring, mic in hand, while the Kingdom makes a fuss. Bully asks them, “Don’t you ever get tired of coming out here and complaining about a conspiracy?” There is NO conspiracy! Maybe the Kingdom just sucks! Fans agree, they chant “You Suck! You Suck!” at Taven, O’Ryan & Vinnie. Bully continues by saying this is all they do, they come out and complain and interfere in matches. They stick their nose in where it doesn’t belong, but it won’t get them anywhere. “Because you’re not needed at Supercard of Honor!” What’s he talking about? What word is Taven stuck on? Bully says that the Kingdom won’t have a match at Supercard! They won’t need to even show up in New Orleans!

Taven counters, The Kingdom deserves their rematch at Supercard! Bully says, “No.” Then who died and put Bully in charge? Since when can Bully make matches? And what makes Bully think the Kindom won’t show up anyway? Bully dares them to, because if they were really that tough, they’d “come get some” right now! The Kingdom huddles up to discuss, but Bully mocks them as being “three bodies, one brain.” He repeats that they’ll not be on Supercard of Honor, neither the PPV nor the building, nor even here tonight! Bully says that if he could, he’d just fire them here and now! O’Ryan and Vinnie hold Taven back while Bully takes his leave. Will the Enforcer’s decision stand once the executives hear about it?

ROH recaps WOH Championship Tournament opening round action.

WOH’s Jenny Rose visited Stardom to take on Kagetsu, and fought her heart out only to succumb to the two-time Goddesses of Stardom tag team champion. Meanwhile, Kagetsu’s teammate, Hana Kimura, would go up against Sumie Sakai as part of the ROH 16th Anniversary Show. Unlike Kagetsu, this Goddess of Stardom would fall to Sumie’s superior experience. But then, Kagetsu appeared and helped Hana beat up Sumie after the match. Sumie beat one half of the Goddesses of Stardom tag championship team, can she get the clean sweep in the quarterfinals?

WOH Championship Tournament, Quarterfinal Match: Kelly Klein VS Mandy Leon!

While the Gatekeeper is no longer undefeated, she is still the most dominant woman in the entire division. As for the Exotic Goddess, she has fought so hard just to make the WOH Division go from dream to reality. Now these pioneers of WOH fight to take one more step towards the Women of Honor Championship!

Mandy doesn’t even slow down for her entrance, she goes right into the ring to get in Kelly’s face. This is the first time these women have faced off, so while that means Mandy hasn’t defeated Kelly, Kelly hasn’t defeated Mandy. Who will prove themselves more worthy of the name, “Queen of Honor”?

Neither woman shakes hands for the Code of Honor, so the bell rings and Kelly slaps Mandy! Mandy slaps back, so Kelly slaps her back. They go back and forth, then Mandy ducks a punch to fire off chops and forearms. Kelly swings but misses again and Mandy gives more forearms. Kelly gets her with forearms, so Mandy kicks low. Mandy kicks Kelly to a knee, then gives more kicks and even a right hand, but runs right into Kelly’s pendulum backbreaker! Kelly doesn’t cover, she just toys with Mandy instead. The fans rally for Mandy as she drags herself up. Mandy throws a punch but Kelly puts her in a cravat. Kelly rams knees into Mandy, showing all the fans what she’s doing to the Exotic Goddess. She then snapmares and kicks Mandy in the back, covers, TWO.

Kelly keeps her cool as she shoves Mandy and toys with her again. Mandy hits back again, but Kelly clubs away on her back. Mandy hits and whips but Kelly reverses. Kelly runs in, big corner clothesline then a big back elbow and another clothesline. Kelly runs and boots Mandy down! Fans applaud while she looms over Mandy. A cocky cover, TWO, but Kelly keeps calm as she drags Mandy up into a chinlock. Fans rally again, and Mandy works her way up to her feet. Mandy fights back but Kelly wrangles her down with authority to then thrash Mandy in that sleeper hold. She shifts it to a neck wrench, clamping Mandy’s jaw, then shifts again into a chinlock. Kelly stretches Mandy against her knee, but Mandy stands up and turns around. Mandy throws a haymaker then ducks Kelly’s, only to miss in the corner.

Kelly runs in for a big body check, then slips out to the apron, but Mandy shoves her down! Mandy goes to the apron and takes aim, to hit Kelly with an apron cannonball!

The Exotic Goddess has the fans fired up while we go to break.

ROH returns to Mandy climbing up top. She aims at Kelly, and flies for the missile dropkick! Mandy fires up the fans while Kelly gets to a corner. Mandy runs in corner to corner for double knees! She scrapes her boot on Kelly’s face, then runs corner to corner again, but Kelly dodges to send her into buckles. Kelly brings Mandy out for clubbing forearms, then prepares a powerbomb, only for Mandy to lift Kelly up and into the Air Raid! Cover, ropebreak! Kelly couldn’t kick out, but that still frustrates Mandy. Mandy climbs up again, but Kelly bumps the ropes to wobble Mandy. Mandy fights Kelly off, but Kelly rushes right back to turn Mandy around. Kelly climbs up and the two fight each other. Kelly gets the edge, and picks Mandy up for a SUPER Fall Away Slam!

The fans applaud while both women are down. Mandy gets herself to the opposite corner but Kelly doesn’t stir. A ten count begins and reaches 5 before either woman heads for each other. They’re still crawling at 7 but start brawling at 8. Back and forth with forearms, Kelly and Mandy then grab hair and stand up for more heavy hits. Mandy backs Kelly down to a corner and rams shoulder after shoulder in! She kicks and sets up Kelly’s leg on the ropes to kick away at the inner thigh. Mandy then grabs that leg, trips Kelly and wrenches the knee. Kelly endures as Mandy digs an elbow into the joint, but Kelly uses that for a dragon sleeper and half bodyscissors.

Mandy is nowhere near ropes, but she manages to pop out of the bodyscissors and rolls around and around until she pops out of the sleeper. She goes after Kelly’s legs, rolls her over and drags her up by her hair to club away on the back. Mandy gets Kelly into the pumphandle, for Astral Projection!

Cover, TWO!? Mandy’s best move, yet Kelly survives? Mandy drags Kelly back up to finish this, and works to put Kelly in the Havana Dreams, her submission! Kelly endures this standing Muta Lock, and sneaks a tap-out where the ref isn’t looking! Mandy knows Kelly is tapping so she lets go, but the match doesn’t end! The referee is confused, which confuses Mandy. Kelly grins to herself, she got away with it. And then she attacks Mandy with a kick, snap suplex, and float over to the guillotine!

Mandy is stuck again, flailing but fading, the ref calls it!

Winner: Kelly Klein, by referee decision

The Gatekeeper uses guile and treachery to cheat the Goddess of ROH out of her dream! Kelly joins Tenille Dashwood, who won at the ROH 16th Anniversary Show. Who will Kelly face after the Virtuosa, Deonna Purrazzo, and the Icon of Stardom, Mayu Iwatani, do battle next week on ROH TV?

Jay Lethal speaks.

“April 7th, in New Orleans, it’s already signed, sealed and delivered.” The Franchise is ready to capture another title in ROH, and that is of course, the World Tag Team Championships. The Briscoes hold those titles, and they’re one of the greatest tag teams in the world, which is why Lethal needs a partner who isn’t just great but “a frickin’ rockstar”! Lethal is speaking of none other than NJPW’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi!

Lethal hopes the Once in a Century Talent will show up in New Orleans for this amazing match! And should Tanahashi appear, can these two incredible singles competitors manage to defeat #DemBoyz at what they do best?

ROH looks back at the Las Vegas Street Fight at the 16th Anniversary Show.

Frankie Kazarian was bloody, Hangman Page was handcuffed, but that wasn’t all. Christopher Daniels made Nick Jackson watch as Scorpio Sky choked his brother, Matt, with a kendo stick and Kaz tortured Matt’s back with a Boston Crab. Matt couldn’t endure the pain, so he tapped out, crowning SoCal Uncensored the new ROH World Six Man Tag Champions!

SoCal Uncensored now speaks on their victory.

The Addiction told Scorpio Sky to trust them, and he did. They stood together and the result was becoming champion. Kaz says that with the countdown to Final Battle still on their contracts, ROH can be “damn sure” SCU will do whatever it takes to keep the titles. They’ll “throw caution to the wind”, then into a grave and bury it. Will Daniels, Kazarian & Sky reign all the way to their last day in the company?

The Boys w/ Dalton Castle VS Hangman Page & Marty Scurll!

Whether or not The Bullet Club is fine, what is certain is that the Problem Solver and Villain won’t allow themselves to lose to Dalton Castle’s sidekicks. But wait, is Scurll not dressed to compete? He’s set to challenge The Peacock for the ROH World Championship, but is he backing out of this match?

Castle joins commentary while the fans chant “Woop Woop!” for Scurll. It seems Scurll will compete, but he doesn’t take the Boys seriously enough to worry about his attire. He starts with the darker haired Boy 2 at the bell. Scurll takes off his watches and jacket and hands that to Hangman to then roll up his sleeves. He trash talks Boy 2, then tags out to Page. Page grins, enjoying his pal’s jocularity. Scurll starts a chant of “Hangman! Hangman!” and even Hangman doesn’t take Boy 2 seriously. He wants to give Boy 2 a chance, in a test of strength. Fans chant “Test of Strength! Test of Strength!” and Boy 2 agrees to the challenge.

Hangman and Boy 2 tie up, and Hangman “suffers” the double wristlock. He just grins and stands back up, to rock Boy 2 with a forearm. Bullet Club toys with the Boys while we go to break.

ROH returns to the Boys in control of the ring. Hangman and Scurll regroup, then Hangman rushes in to beat up both Boys. He boots Boy 1 down then shoves Boy 2 into the corner and then another. Hangman runs in but Boy 2 dodges, Boy 1 returns and runs in, only for Hangman to shove his leaping splash away. Boy 2 runs in but his headscissors is blocked int a buckle bump! Castle complains that Scurll isn’t taking this seriously. Not just because the Boys aren’t to be underestimated, but because Scurll needs to stay sharp for when he faces Castle. Hangman drags Boy 2 up and with fans cheering, tags in Scurll. Scurll fires the fans up more, to then tag Hangman back in. However, while Hangman questions Scurll’s motives, the Boys pull off Twin Magic!

Boy 1 waits for Hangman, and gets the small package! TWO, but Boy 1 runs to springboard for a crossbody. Hangman catches and throws Boy 1 but Boy 1 springs back up to chop and forearm Hangman. Boy 1 whips Hangman but Hangman reverses, then catches Boy 1 as he tries to go up and over. He puts Boy 1 on the apron but Boy 1 swing kicks, then flies for a missile dropkick! The fans rally with the Boys as Boy 2 joins his brother. They double whip but Hangman blocks to fight back with heavy hands and elbows. Scurll paces outside the ring to approach commentary while Hangman whips Boy 2.

Boy 2 tries to tilt-o-whirl into a DDT but Hangman blocks with power. Hangman tosses Boy 2 up to rock him with a right hand on the way down. Scurll and Castle trash talk while Hangman throws Boy 1 out. Boy 1 slips back in as Hangman slingshots out, but then Hangman slingshots back in for the Buck Shot!

Cover, Bullet Club wins!

Winners: Page & Scurll, Page pins

Despite Castle’s confidence is his Boys and Scurll’s arrogance about himself, Bullet Club wins with just Hangman doing all the work. Scurll is so confident in himself that he takes the title belt and holds it up as if it were alraedy his own.

Hangman builds momentum towards his match with Kota Ibushi, but does this really give Scurll momentum towards his ROH WHC match with The Peacock at Supercard of Honor?

Silas Young and Kenny King brawl backstage!

The Last Real Man and K I N G of Sin City still aren’t through with each other, even after King took back the ROH World Television Championship at the 16th Anniversary Show. Silas puts King into the door and then clubs him in the back, but ROH cuts away in order to restore order.

The Briscoes speak.

“Do you know who we are?” They’re the ROH World Tag Team Champions, and on Supercard of Honor Weekend, “the professional wrestling universe is gonna converge on New Orleans.” Matches, spectacle, but the conversation will be about the beating #DemBoyz give Lethal & Tanahashi! Two of the best singles competitors are going into a tag team match with the best tag team! Will the Franchise & the Ace survive when it’s Sandy Fork VS Everybody?

ROH returns, but that brawl continues?!

Silas Young knocks Kenny King out onto the stage, but Kenny turns things around with a boot! Silas tumbles down the ramp and to ringside, but Kenny won’t let it end there. Security tries to stop them but get knocked down for their troubles. Kenny and Silas continue to throw hands on each other, so more security comes out, only to get the same! Silas throws one guard into Kenny to slow him down, so that he can club away on the World TV Champion more. Security regroups and drags Silas away while keeping Kenny back. Referees come out to do the same, but this isn’t cooling down so easily.

Bully Ray comes out while Silas takes a mic. “What the Hell, Bully?!” They saw what happened at 16th Anniversary, Silas got screwed! Give him his rematch! Kenny doesn’t seem to mind, so Bully lets him say it himself! “You can’t beat me in this ring, you’re not tougher than I am, and you damn sure ain’t a better man than I am!” Kenny is sick of Silas’s fake tough guy image, so it’s time for a LAST MAN STANDING! Silas may dominate that match type, but Kenny asks how Silas is gonna stand up, after Kenny breaks both his legs!? Kenny leaves while glaring down Silas, who will be the last real man standing after their match?

Scorpio Sky VS Flip Gordon!

The Captain and the Closer were on the same side once, until Scorpio ditched Flip for The Addiction. Scorpio then attacked Flip seemingly at random, and now Flip wants to get even with the man who stabbed him in the back.

Scorpio offers the Code of Honor handshake, but Flip’s been tricked by handshakes too many times in the past. The bell rings, and Flip thrusts a kick, but Scorpio narrowly avoids it. Scorpio kicks but Flip blocks it, then fakes the right hand to snapmare and run. Scorpio ducks under that kick to roll Flip, but Flip rolls through to dropkick Scorpio. Flip kip-up and fans applaud, but Scorpio knees low to club Flip stiffly across the back. Scorpio runs, but Flip follows to run him over with a shoulder. Flip’s back slows him down a little but he gets moving again, to handstand walk over Scorpio. Scorpio kicks at an arm but Flip avoids it by standing on one hand, then gets Scorpio with the headscissor throw! Scorpio slips out of the ring and fans chant for “Flip! Flip!” as he builds speed, and FLIES!

He takes out Scorpio and the fans keep chanting “Flip! Flip!” while we go to break.

ROH returns once more, to Flip going for the Four-Fif-Knee, but Scorpio rolls out of the way so Flip lands on his feet. Flip runs but Scorpio puts him on the apron, Flip kicks Scorpio back. Scorpio disrupts the springboard, then boots Flip off the ropes. He snapmares and scrapes Flip’s face, then kicks him in the back. Flip writhes while Scorpio walks around. Scorpio slaps Flip, Flip slaps back! Scorpio drags Flip up and into a corner, and unloads boxing body shots! The referee counts, Scorpio backs off at 4 to embrace the heat. Flip hits back but Scorpio keeps him down. Scorpio whips Flip out and back in, then gives a big leaping shoulder tackle! Cover, TWO, but Scorpio keeps his cool.

The fans rally for Flip while Scorpio stands up and kicks Flip back down. Scorpio looms but Flip chops away! Scorpio puts Flip in a corner but Flip elbows and boots his way out. Flip hops up then jumps over, but runs into the waistlock. Flip fights out and rallies on Scorpio, runs and fakes Scorpio out, for the elevated 619! Scorpio goes down and fans fire up. Flip climbs up top and takes aim, but has to jump over Scorpio. He still turns Scorpio around for fireman’s carry, but Scorpio slips out and shoves Flip to ropes. Flip uses that to springboard up and over, for the Springblade!

Scorpio is down again, but here comes Daniels!

Daniels argues with the referee, but naturally this is a distraction for Kazarian’s sneak attack!

Kaz then back suplexes Flip, but Flip slips out! Flip dumps Kaz out, then gets Scorpio in the victory roll pin! Flip wins!

Winner: Gordon, by pinfall

But he doesn’t get to enjoy it, because The Addiction rushes him at the bell! The SoCal Uncensored group together to stomp out and beat up Flip. But just like before, The Young Bucks make the save!

Matt & Nick Jackson run the SCU off again, and the fans cheer them on. The SCU remind the Bucks who have the ROH Six Man titles, and Flip is just as confused as he was the last time this happened. The fans chant “All In! All In!” as the Bucks look at Flip. Matt again offers a handshake.

The fans want him to accept it, but Flip is hesitant. He sees the SCU watching, and goes to leave, but then stops, to go back and accept it!

The SCU can’t believe it, and even Nick looks surprised. Matt won’t let go of the handshake, though. Not to mess with Flip, but to give him a hug!

Again, Nick is rather surprised by this. But he does applaud, proud of his brother for making a new friend. And wait, Bully Ray reappears!

The Enforcer says, “it’s about damn time.” This is an interesting mix here. Bully gives Flip credit for enduring the ribbing and testing, and did it the old school way of taking it like a champ to then earn his spot in ROH. The fans chant for Flip while Bully continues to say, “Three of you and three of you.” And there’s no match for these six at Supercard of Honor just yet. Bully thinks Flip and the Bucks would make an interesting trio, and the ROH World Six Man Tag Champions need contenders. “So why don’t we do this?” Supercard of Honor: SoCal Uncensored VS The Bucks & Flip Gordon, and to make it more interesting, in a Ladder Match! Can this unlikely friendship help Flip & The Bucks cut SCU’s reign short?

My Thoughts:

A real fun episode this close to Supercard. Bully seems to be making an interesting turn, as far as his role in ROH’s administration. He insisted he didn’t want to be a General Manager, but he’s doing General Manager things like making matches. Or rather, unmaking them, as he says the Kingdom won’t be getting their ROH World Six Man title match at Supercard, even though ROH executives apparently said they would. However, fans seem okay with screwing over Heels, so no one is changing alignments. I do expect the Kingdom to double down on being Heel to get their match, though. Bully does do some other great stuff, like helping Silas and Kenny King create their newest grudge match, that Last Man Standing Match will be really good.

Great announcement for the ROH World Tag Team Championships, Lethal & Tanahashi is a great team, and I doubt there will be dysfunction to tear them apart. If those two don’t defeat the Briscoes, it’s because the Briscoes will use Heel tactics of distraction. The WOH Championship Tournament match tonight was great, definitely a step up from some of the other ROH VS ROH matches. Kelly Klein was brilliant in that hidden tap-out, she is THE Heel in the division right now. And though they were recaps, I did like the story of the top right bracket, showing us the relationship of Stardom’s Oeda Tai even as Heels to soften up Sumie before the next round. With Tenille into the next round already, she’s gotta be one of the finalists, and probably taking on Klein to prove whether or not she deserves to be in ROH.

There is so much great stuff going on with The Bullet Club, even on top of their “Bullet Club is (not) Fine” story. Hangman basically won a handicap match against The Boys since Scurll was just there to troll Castle. At the same time, Castle teams with Kenny King to go up against the Briscoes. The Briscoes will use that to prove they can beat two talented singles wrestlers, but I bet either Scurll or Silas will show up to screw over Castle & King “just days before” Supercard. Then the main event, Flip VS Scorpio, great stuff and great for Flip to get a win for himself. The closing segment was even better, as Flip is no longer a target for Bullet Club to bully. The Six Man Ladder Match for the titles could go either way, and could add more wrinkles to the Bullet Club story.

My Score: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.18.2024

Motor City Machine Guns either go out on their backs, or head to Rebellion as champs! Lets see how they finish their current run in TNA!

Published

11 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Andrew Balaz

No burying the lead here! The Main Event is The System versus Motor City Machine Guns, and it’s the Go Home episode before Rebellion! So we’re guaranteed a damn good tag match, and we should get either new wrinkles, or ways to keep the storylines cooking going into the Pay-per-View.

With all the rumors and innuendo about the Guns being on their way out, I think we all assume that MCMG is losing, but my inner fanboy is still excited.

Part Three: Acceptance @TheJonGresham #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/NE9FPzCCz2

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Ratings:

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone: Hammerstone wins via Torture Rack – SQUASH
LSG vs Joe Hendry: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – SQUASH
Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno: Ali wins via 450 Splash – ** 3/4
Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna: Rosemary wins via Spear – ***
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards: System wins via Roster Cut + Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

So we kick off the match with Josh coming out to commentary again to watch Hammerstone’s match. They really need a new way to try and keep heat without reusing the same tired gimmick of “ring side seat” to a Squash match.

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone

Guido tries to shoot the half, but Hammerstone shrugs him off, lifts him like a child and runs him into a corner, few short shots and then just tosses him across the ring. Hammer gets a little distracted talking smack to Josh and eats a foot, but then tosses Guido with the ole Sack of Shit move and keeps working over Guido.

Hammer shoves Clayton, and provokes him to push him back right in front of the referee. She ejects them, Guido tries to take advantage but when he goes for the pinfall Hammer kicks out immediately and presses Guido out of thing through the ropes. Continues to dog walk Guido, puts the head gear on the ECW Original and then Torture Racks him while staring directly at Josh, and of course picks up the submission victory.

.@XiaBrookside and @Ashamae_Sebera face off NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/Q0S3wSRpeu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

LSG vs Joe Hendry

Hendry cuts a little promo, mentioning the Fat Uncle Phil joke…something about shopping at the TOP Dollar Store. Solid mic work.

LSG is a damn good local talent, he’s been seen in ROH and AEW in the past (perhaps others, but that’s what comes to mind immediately for me), but we all know this is an enhancement match. A few nice chain wrestling spots early, but Hendry uses his power to stop the smaller wrestler, Sack of Shit into Standing Ovation and the match is over quickly.

Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno

Well okay, having Deaner ask the crowd if they wanted a 3v2 or their third member…RHYNO…is pretty much a no brainer in Philly. But at least the gimmick isn’t quite as cringe as I expected.

Jake starts with Zack Gibson and throws him around. Jake goes for the tag and Deaner asks the crowd who Jake should tag, and the crowd picks Rhyno. Rhyno Whips Gibson into a corner, Drake actually softens the impact, allowing Gibson to fire back, tag out, but Rhyno levels both GYV members and then even knocks Ali off the apron. Rhyno tries to call to the crowd to tag in Deaner and that goes over like a fart in church. He tags him in anyway, and the crowd is kinda dead and doing whatever it wants after the obvious ECW chants when Rhyno tagged in.

GYV take a couple lumps but they of course start to work over Deaner and capture some momentum. Solid tandem work from GYV, they cut off Deaner from making a tag and goad Jake a little to cause the ref to block off the babyfaces so the heels can take a few shortcuts. Cody eventually makes the tag to Rhyno, hot tag, he tries to set up the Gore but the GYV manage to stop him in his tracks and hit an Enzuigiri to daze the Man Beast, he falls to his corner and Jake tags himself in. Jake literally runs them all over, tags in Cody and Launches him from the Top Rope into Zack Gibson. Ali makes the save and Jake tries to get his hands on Ali, but the GYV keep throwing themselves at him, literally. The triple team finally gets the best of Jake, they hit 3 Dives and then post Jake, so they gather around Cody like hyenas.

They forgot about Rhyno, he’s set up for a Gore, he Gores Drake, Gibson and Ali take out Rhyno, but then Cody starts to fight back. Ali stops Deaner’s offense with an Avalanche Sunset Bomb, then hits his 450 Splash. Jake barely misses being able to break up the pin.

.@TheEricYoung channels "The Sickness" as he prepares for FULL METAL MAYHEM with @FrankieKazarian at #Rebellion! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/tm1TqxZBLo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna

Jody tries to start quickly with Shoulder Tackles, Lariats and Scoop Slams, and it does seem somewhat effective. Rosemary is having trouble finding offense against the intensity, but she keeps kicking out. Shotgun Dropkick finally gives Rosemary an opening, she goes into full mount and rains down strikes. Rosemary shoves Jody into a corner and Bites her in the corner. Jody tries to fight out, they go across and Rosemary catches her with the legs and puts her in the Upside Down. Splash in the corner from Rosemary, Exploder Suplex and Jody is eating a lot of offense.

Rosemary looks like she’s caught after she gets tripped up into the ropes and Jody goes for her Rope Knee into the German, but Rosemary dodges. Rosemary hits her own suplex and pulls out a beautiful Last Chancery! I haven’t seen her do that in a long time. Jody manages to fight to the ropes, Rosemary is a little slow to capitalize and eats a Pump Kick. Rosemary goes flying into the ropes, Jody hits the Double Knees into the German this time for 2, and they trade a few haymakers after that. Jody folds Rosemary with a low Lariat, Zombie rise spot a few times, Jody goes for a pinfall and Rosemary kicks out.

Havok jumps up on the apron, Dani meets her and they decide to step down, but the distraction was enough. Jody turns around and eats a Spear. Rosemary wins!

Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards

Eddie and Shelley start off, and its a very simple slow start. Mostly an early stalemate, the typical Japanese style the TNA seem to love to employ. Starters tag out, but then Shelley with the blind tag, Sabin Baseball Slides out, picks Eddie’s ankle and sends his face bouncing off the apron, while Shelley sneaks up being Myers and they hit a tandem move before we cut to commercial. Off of the commercial it looks like Eddie and Myers regained control. But a nice Jawbreaker from Shelley sends Eddie falling back into the MCMG corner. Dragon Screws to both legs from Sabin and Shelley, and we get the Dragon Screw dissection spot for the Guns.

Myers gets sick of things, tries to get involved, but Simultaneous Figure Fours from the MCMG makes The System look silly. Alisha does the classic “push the rope forward” gimmick to assist Eddie in breaking the hold. She keeps chirping at Shelley until she finally grabs his foot. Shelley doesn’t take kindly, tries to grab her by the hair but she gets away, Shelley eats a strike and falls back to the ropes so Lish can just throttle him with the rope, Sabin walks over and acts like he’s going to PK her and the look of disgust on her face is hilarious, like “how dare he threaten to kick her”. Would I be mad is Masha decides to team with Lish and they win the Knockouts Tag titles? No, because the Knockouts Tags are trash. But I still prefer Lish as valet/manager.

Shelley starts fighting back after another commercial break, Eddie tries to cut him off, but Sabin clocks Eddie and Shelley manages to make the tag and Sabin comes in. Lights up both System members, Kick off Tornado DDT, into a Running Gamengiri. Eddie tries to counter but Shelley assists, tandem strikes, Double Baseball Slide into the classic MCMG spot 5 Hole Dive! Keeping up with the classics Shelley stacks the System members on each other and hit the Missile Dropkick/Flatliner spot. As the Guns are rolling, Sabin accidentally catches Sabin with his foot and The System take control! They hit their pieces of the System Overload spot, but Sabin kicks out. Roster Cut attempt from Myers, but Shelley is back. High Speed Dirt, Machine Gun Sandwich, but Lish grabs Shelley’s foot when they’re setting up Skull and Bones. Shelley gets dropped on the turnbuckle and thrown out, Sabin eats the Roster Cut followed up with Boston Knee Party and System retains!

Its a little weird to have had the two commercial cuts and the fact there’s still Nic Nemeth to follow. So it feels a little flat, I hope this wasn’t their swan song match, because it was nice to see some classic spots, but it was entirely too abbreviated.

Nemeth comes out, goes into the crowd and finds a kid with a kendo stick and borrows a beer from someone, so he does a bit of a Sandman tribute. Moose cuts off his promo basically immediately. He throws out the “can’t beat the system” line again, and Nic rolls with the punches well. Moose uses a few cute analogies about Nic having a failure laden past, but Nemeth bites back and its really damn good. He says he can see it in Moose’s eyes that he thinks he’s getting in the ring with Dolph Ziggler, but no, there is no more old Dolph Ziggler, just the new Nic Nemeth. And Moose’s cool seems to be slightly shaken after those words. Good promo.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

So this was okay, if it didn’t end as strongly as it did, I would’ve rated this much lower. Two squash matches in the beginning, reusing the Josh comes out to the announce table to watch trope is boring, hell even Clayton’s shove to Hammerstone was super lame looking. The Deaner match was luke warm at best, but things picked up around the Rosemary match.

Lets also not overlook the segments with ASH & Xia, Jonathan Gresham’s whole deal and EY having to return to the violence/sickness/world class maniac, whatever you want to call it, were all great building blocks. This definitely wasn’t what I would call a strong Go Home, but it didn’t hurt things for Rebellion. The whole injury of Cardona was addressed, which honestly sounded weird since Jordynne basically said she was expecting them to have a backup plan so she has a backup plan. I don’t really like how that video package came across.

But who knows, all I know is, this wasn’t an awful episode, it just wasn’t really strong either. Here’s to hoping Rebellion Saturday is still strong.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/18/24)

Time to Man Up!

Published

14 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Will the Ivy League MVP earn a title shot?

The NEW ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe, is here to step onto the Proving Ground with one of Maria Kanellis’ baby boys, Griff Garrison! Will Griff make Maria proud? Or will he reach for the sky?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo; Keith wins.
Six Man Tag: Lance Archer & The Righteous VS Jon Cruz, Savion Truitt & Damian Chambers; Archer & The Righteous win.
Lee Johnson VS JD Drake; Lee wins.
Abadon VS Allysin Kay; Abadon wins.
The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson; The Infantry wins.
Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora; Kiera, Leyla & Adora win.
The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto; Mortos wins.
Lady Frost VS Marti Belle; Frost wins.
The Dark Order VS Zak Patterson & Frank Milano; The Dark Order wins.
ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis; Mark wins and denies Griff a title match.

PLAY BY PLAY

Mark Briscoe speaks.

“Now House of Black, I’ve been doing this dance with y’all a little while now, and I’m starting to understand how y’all operate. Starting to understand y’all’s M-O. You try to intimidate me. You try to strike fear into the hearts of men. Well I done told you, I fear no man, I fear no evil. And ancient wisdom says the violent take it by force. Now lemme tell you, Eddie Kingston, Adam Copeland, and Mark Briscoe, we some violent men! And at Dynasty, we bringing the violence, babeh! So heed my advice, House of Black! Be afraid, be very afraid!” The Sussex County Chicken is ready for a fight, will he, the Rated R Superstar and Mad King tear down The House of Black once and for all?

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo!

The Bounty Hunter is still looking for a prize, but he’ll gladly fight to earn his shot. Will Keith be heading for a golden opportunity on the other side of Dynasty? Or will Solo shoot first?

The Code of Honor is upheld with sarcastic enthusiasm by Solo, and Keith shoves him away. The bell rings and Solo SLAPS Keith! Keith TACKLES Solo and rains down fists! The fans fire up, Solo gets away then knees Keith low. Solo ROCKS Keith, whips him to a corner, but Keith comes back to run Solo over! Keith scoops to SLAM Solo, then stands on Solo’s face! The fans fire up for the KNEE DROP! Keith then SLAPS Solo! The fans rally for “BK! BK!” Solo storms up but Keith kicks low. Keith reels Solo in, suplexes, and he holds Solo up! Keith marches around, then SLAMS Solo down! Solo bails out and the fans fire up as Keith aims.

Keith builds speed, slides, but Solo ducks! Solo sends Keith into steel steps! The fans boo as Solo leaves Keith behind. The ring count starts, fans chant “SOLO SUCKS! SOLO SUCKS!” Solo counts along but wants it to go faster. Keith stands at 8 of 20, slides in, but Solo stomps and HAMMERS away! The fans boo more, but Solo stands Keith up to bump him off buckles. Keith CHOPS in return! Then CHOPS again! The fans “WOO~,” then Keith ROCKS Solo with a forearm. Keith CHOPS in the corner, but then Solo dodges. Solo tries but Keith dodges the chop to CHOP Solo down! The fans fire up while Solo is stinging.

Keith whips Solo, Solo reverses and CLOBBERS Keith! Cover, TWO! Keith grits his teeth but Solo knees him in the back! And again! The fans rally, Solo taunts them, and then ELBOWS Keith in the head. Solo stalks Keith to a corner, digs his boots in, but again the fans chant “SOLO SUCKS!” Solo stomps away on Keith, digs his boots in again, but Keith fights up! The fans fire up as Keith fires forearms! Keith fires forearms again and again and again, winds up, but Solo dodges! Solo comes back, but Keith ROCKS him after all! The fans fire up as Keith runs in to BOOT! Solo sputters, Keith runs, but then Solo SUPERKICKS! Keith just roars!

Solo swings, but into a T-BONE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Keith keeps calm. Keith waits on Solo as fans rally behind him. Solo staggers into a fireman’s carry, but he fights free! Solo shoves, goes to a corner, but then Keith comes back. Solo ELBOWS Keith, whips, but Keith reverses! Solo goes up but gets caught, for an USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Keith slashes his throat and aims his finger gun! Keith underhooks, but Solo fights the lift! Solo back drops, Keith sunset flips but Solo stays up to DOUBLE STOMP! Solo then runs up, catches Keith and hits a T-BONE! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up but Solo hurries to a corner. Solo climbs fast, and DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO!! Keith survives that coup de grace and Solo isn’t sure what to do. Solo kicks Keith around, drags him up and reels him in to underhook. Keith fight that lift, Solo CLUBS away on him, but Keith Alabama Lifts! Solo grabs ropes so Keith lets him down, and ENZIGIRIS! But Solo SCREW HIGH KICKS! Solo goes up top, but Keith RISING HEADBUTTS! The fans fire up with Keith and he climbs! Keith reels Solo in, for DIAMOND DUST!! Cover, Keith wins!

Winner: Bryan Keith, by pinfall

A big win for BK! And he gives back that sarcastic handshake. Will the Bounty Hunter be hot on the trail of a championship after AEW & ROH pass through the Gateway City?

Mark Sterling speaks.

“If you ask AI to create the perfect professional wrestler, it wouldn’t even come close to you. If wrestling is a body business, then you’re a multinational corporation. Biology defying symmetry, no fat, all muscle, no waste. As functional as you are aesthetic. High-flying? You got it. Ground ‘n’ pound? You got that, too. Striking, brawling, submission, technical, there is not a single style you have not perfected. For the last 20 years, you’ve been one of the most consistent and proficient wrestling specimens for any company that’s been willing to throw money at you and begged you to stay. And now, it’s time for them to beg for mercy.

“You are Tony Nese, and you are a Premier Athlete.”

Now Mark Sterling & The Premier Athletes are here in person.

They stand backstage, Sterling’s guys in matching tracksuits, and he says the last time he looked into the camera, he told everyone he had a plan. The very next day, they enacted that plan. Sterling took them off the road, they entered a professional fight camp. They got the best coaches, best trainers, best doctors, and these three started to do what they do best: go to work. Supercard of Honor, against two former ROH TV Champions, PA got an impressive victory. Fruits of their labor. Ariya Daivari is back better than ever. Josh Woods is bigger and better than he was when he won the National Championship. And Tony Nese is in the best shape of his life, which is saying something.

In fact, what’re we even talking about? These three are the most underappreciated athletes in the company. They walk like stars, they move like stars, they present themselves like stars, and by the end of this year, they will be champions. Supercard was just phase one of this plan. Phase two… starts tonight. Then just what happens when the Premier Athletes start making moves?

Lee Johnson VS JD Drake!

Even though he lost at Supercard, Big Shotty stays positive! He got close to the ROH World Television Championship, will he get back there for another shot? Or will Scrap Metal be another speedbump in Lee’s momentum?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, JD HIP TOSSES, and Lee scrambles to ropes. JD flexes and fans cheer, which surprises JD. Lee gets up, he and JD reset. They tie up, JD arm-drags, but Lee gets up. Lee keeps calm while JD talks some smack. They circle, tie up again, and JD scoops! JD carries Lee around, with one arm! Then SLAM! JD dusts off his hands and the fans fire up more. Lee is a bit frustrated, but he fires himself up. The fans rally with him, he and JD circle to tie up. Lee goes to hip toss, but JD blocks! JD tells Lee he knows that’s not gonna work!

JD goes to hip toss but now Lee blocks! Lee arm-drags, then he goes to feint, but JD blocks with a headlock. Lee shoves JD, tries another arm-drag, but JD blocks that. JD whips Lee, Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges and arm-drags again! The fans fire up as Lee tries to scoop, but JD’s too hefty! JD SLAPS Lee, ROCKS him, then whips him to ropes. Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges again, shoves JD and hurdles! Lee drops, then DROPKICKS! JD staggers to a corner, Lee fires up, and the fans fire up with him! Lee runs up on JD in a corner to CHOP! JD barely flinches! JD puts his arms back and dares Lee to try again. Lee CHOPS, but JD puts Lee in the corner!

JD swings, Lee dodges and CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Lee whips, JD reverses but Lee ELBOWS back! Lee runs up but into a lift, and FLAPJACK off buckles! Lee falls, the fans rally up, and JD dusts himself off. JD storms back up on Lee, brings him up, and the fans rally. JD ROCKS Lee, stands him up in the corner, and CHOPS! The fans “WOO~!” while Lee sputters. The fans want that “One More Time!” so JD stands Lee up. JD winds up, to JAB! The fans boo JD trolling them, but JD stands Lee up to CHOP him after all! Lee is stinging, but JD brings him up. Lee throws body shots but JD ROCKS Lee!

JD whips, Lee sunset flips! JD stays up, but Lee avoids the hip drop! Ghost pin, TWO! JD gets up, kicks low and whips, to SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Lee stays in this and the fans rally up. JD sits Lee up, KICKS him in the back, then paces around. The fans rally for Lee but JD pie faces him around. Lee rises, JD brings him up and Lee CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! JD throat chops! The ref reprimands, JD claims he jabbed to the chest. JD then scoops and SLAMS Lee, to then FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Lee is still in this but JD CHOKES him! The ref counts, JD lets off, claiming he was just checking the pulse.

JD clamps on a chinlock, digging his knee into Lee’s back. Lee endures, the fans rally up, and Lee fights to his feet. Lee throws body shots, but JD knees low! JD suplexes but Lee slips free! Lee ROCKS JD, ROCKS him again, but JD CHOPS! JD runs, but Lee SUPERKICKS! JD flops out of the ring and the fans fire up! The fans rally as Lee builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit at the ramp and the fans fire up even more! Lee puts JD in, climbs a corner, and JD stands. JD staggers around, into the CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! JD stays in this but then bails back out. Lee thinks on what he has to do and the fans rally up.

Lee runs, to slide, but JD gets under! JD pops Lee up to CLOBBER him! JD puts Lee in, aims from a corner, and Lee goes to the opposite end. JD runs up, but Lee moves, CANNONBALL hits buckles! Lee hurries up while JD is down! The fans cheer as Lee aims, FROG SPLASH, but JD moves! Lee rolls through, runs back at JD but JD puts him on the apron. JD ROCKS Lee, goes up, and he brings Lee around. The fans fire up as JD brings Lee up, but Lee fires body shots! Lee GAMANGIRIS, then climbs! Lee sunset flips for the POWERBOMB! The fans fire up and Lee climbs back up, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Lee wins!

Winner: Lee Johnson, by pinfall

Big Shotty’s got range, and he hit the mark! Will Lee take this momentum and turn it into another chance at a championship?

Abadon VS Allysin Kay!

Speaking of second chances, The Living Dead Girl got screwed out of the ROH Women’s World Television Championship when Mercedes Martinez & Diamante conspired against her. And while AK Don’t Play, she knows the OG Badass well. Can Abadon prepare for revenge by taking down Martinez’s greatest rival?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, but Abadon holds on, to BITE Allysin’s arm! Abadon then laughs, dodges Allysin to HEADBUTT low, HELL STAB, then mule kick! Abadon runs to SHOTGUN BOOT! Allysin goes to a corner while the fans rally up and Abadon shrieks! But Allysin BOOTS Abadon down! Allysin rains down fists, covers, ONE!! Abadon sits up but Allysin brings her around to fireman’s carry. SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up, Allysin drags Abadon up to TOSS her to a corner! Allysin fires body shots, then she CHOPS! Allysin whips corner to corner hard and Abadon bounces off buckles!

Allysin takes a bow, puts pinkies up, and SPLASHES in the corner! Allysin CHOPS, whips, and runs up again, but Abadon BOOTS her! Abadon runs to BULLDOG! The fans rally as Abadon slithers out to the apron then climbs up the corner. Allysin crawls, Abadon aims, CROSSBODY! Abadon runs to KNEE Allysin back down! Abadon storms up on Allysin, reels her in, BLACK DAHLIA! Cover, Abadon wins!

Winner: Abadon, by pinfall

Abadon smiles, then shrieks into the night! Will Mercedes Martinez make sure to stay far, far away from the frightening Living Dead Girl?

Backstage interview with Taya Valkyrie.

Lexi Nair is with La Wera Loca and brings up her trios match alongside Diamante and Leila Grey. But this is also the first time we’ve seen her since Supercard, where Johnny TV lost to Dalton Castle. The question is: where is Johnny? Uh, recovering from that vicious attack by Dalton Castle and his “special boy,” Paul Walter-Whatever! Taya is gonna call up Fran Dreischer to file a complaint! For someone so TV Ready, Castle and Paul sure don’t look it. So yes, Johnny is rehabbing. Wait he’s in rehab? Ew, no, who do you think they are? Johnny is rehabbing the abs! This is an aesthetics business so he has to look amazing!

So tonight, Taya will carry the weight of the TV Family in trios action. So run along, Lexi, Taya has things to do. Uh, this is Lexi’s interview space. Oh, well, her apologies. Taya bumps Lexi on the way out, but will Taya’s team win some major points in the title chase tonight?

The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson!

Captain Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo may not be the ROH World Tag Team Championships, but they are not deterred. Will they get through the jacked ‘n’ juicy juggernauts to go after The Undisputed Kingdom once again?

The teams sort out, #BadNewsAndTattoos starts against Beefcake Boulder, and they keep the Code of Honor. They tie up, Bravo tries but can’t push Boulder back, but Boulder pushes Bravo back! Bravo resets with Boulder, beefs up, and they tie up. Bravo wrenches to wristlock, but Boulder WRINGS Bravo out! Boulder talks smack on Dean and Bravo, but Bravo pie faces. Boulder scoops Bravo, but Bravo slips free to DROPKICK! Boulder stays up, runs up, but Dean is there to GAMANGIRI! Bravo tags Dean while Boulder throws a fit, but DOUBLE DROPKICKS send him reeling! Bulk Bronson tags but runs into a DOUBLE HIP TOSS!

The fans fire up as the Infantry crisscross and SPLIT the wishbone! Bravo gets fans going with “OORAH!” Dean runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Bronson bails out, Boulder is there to help him, and Dean builds speed, only for Jacked Jameson to stand in the way! He wants Dean to sip the Savage Sauce! Dean says no thanks, but in comes Bronson! EXPLODER! Bravo protests but Bronson drags Dean to a cover. The ref is busy arguing, he finally sees the pin, TWO! Bronson is annoyed, but he mocks Bravo’s air machine gun. Bravo then tags Boulder before he brings Dean up. The fans rally but the Savages still hit a SHOULDER TACKLE SUPLEX COMBO!

Bronson flexes, Boulder taunts Bravo, and then Boulder whips Dean to the corner. Boulder wraps Dean’s arms around ropes to HEADBUTT again and again and again! Tag to Bronson, he brings Dean around, and they visit #TIDDYCITY! But Dean reverses, it’s Bronson who dives in! Boulder panics, runs up, but Dean DUMPS him! Bronson swings, misses, hot tag to Bravo! Bravo rallies on Bronson with big forearms! Bravo whips, Bronson reverses, but the CARLIE CROSSOVER takes Bronson down! Boulder gets up, Bravo fakes him out to SCISSOR KICK! Bravo then kicks Bronson, and manages a FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally, Bravo pounds the mat, but now Jameson wants Bravo to sip! Bravo says no, get outta here! Bronson runs up again, Bravo dodges, and Bronson barely avoids hitting Jameson! Bravo aims, Bronson dodges, the SUPERKICK hits Jameson! Jameson spews sauce! Boulder catches Jameson, Dean goes up, and Dean CROSSBODIES to wipe them both out! But Bronson rolls Bravo up! TWO, and Bronson grabs Bravo, only for Bravo to kick low! Bravo reels Bronson in, tags Dean, and TORNADO- NO, Bronson stops the DDT! Dean gets in, Bronson scoops, but Dean slips free! Feed to a SUPERKICK!

The Infantry coordinate, for BOOT CAMP! Cover, Infantry wins!

Winners: The Infantry, by pinfall

Dean & Bravo redeem themselves from Supercard and are ready to get back on track! But wait, The Premier Athletes make their way out here! Is this what Smart Mark was talking about for phase two? Daivari & Nese rush the ring and start throwing hands with The Infantry! Woods tips the scales as he DECKS Dean, then DECKS Bravo! But wait! Here comes Dalton Castle! The Peacock won’t stand for there to be bullies, and he takes off his sandals to weaponize them! The Premier Athletes dare him to, but wait! Here comes Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson! They run The Premier Athletes off!

Sterling shouts, “Who do you think you are?!” but he’s shouting at THE ROH World Champion and many other big names around here! Will The Peacock, the Chicken and the rest of ROH humble Sterling’s stable once and for all?

Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora!

The Cuban Diamond has staked her claim at challenging for the ROH Women’s World Television Championship, but so has The Hottest Flame. But let’s not forget The Last Baddie Standing, La Wera Loca, the LEGIT One and The AfroPunk! Billie Starkz still sees herself above all six of these women, but which trio takes the lead in the title chase with a win tonight?

The teams sort out, Taya starts against Kiera and the Code of Honor is upheld. The bell rings, the two tie up, and Kiera gets around to waistlock. Taya pries the hold, backs Kiera into a corner and throws elbows! Taya stomps away on Kiera, then says who’s the hottest now? Taya snapmares, covers, ONE!! Taya drags Kiera up, whips her to ropes, but Kiera holds ropes to BOOT back! Taya runs up again but Kiera drop toeholds her onto ropes! HIP ATTACK! Taya flounders, Kiera runs to step-up and LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Kiera keeps cool as she brings Taya up, but Taya ROCKS Kiera then throws her by her hair!

Taya tags Diamante, they stomp Kiera, then Diamante sucker punches Leyla! Diamante runs in to DROPKICK Kiera, then drags her to a high stack cover, ONE!! Kiera is tougher than that but Diamante says it’s just a matter of time. Diamante runs, PLANKING SPLASH flops as Kiera moves! Hot tag to Leyla! Leyla gut wrenches Diamante to GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Tag to Adora, then Leyla wrenches so she can hand it off to Adora. Adora WRINGS Diamante’s arm, drags her up and wrenches again, but Diamante ROCKS her! Adora swings, Diamante dodges to tilt-o-whirl and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Diamante snarls and pushes Adora down to rain down fists!

Diamante storms around, brings Adora up and CHOPS her on the back! Tag to Grey and she NECK SNAPPERS Adora! Cover, TWO! Adora is tougher than that but Grey rains down fists! Grey drags Adora up, bumps her off buckles, then tags Taya. Taya and Grey dig their boots in, then Taya stomps a mudhole. Taya sits Adora down to METEORA! Tag to Diamante and she stomps a mudhole! The ref reprimands but Diamante tags Taya back in. Taya steps over Adora and mockingly has Adora reach out to her corner. The ref has to keep Hirsch back so Grey gets shots in, then Taya drags Adora up.

Taya again mockingly holds out Adora’s hand but the fans rally up. Adora fights up, but Taya pulls her into the motorcycle stretch! Adora endures the knee in her back, fights up to her feet, and then arm-drags Taya away! Taya gets up, ducks ‘n’ dodges and mule kicks! But Adora ducks the buzzsaw to BASEMENT GERMAN! The fans fire up while both women are down! Adora and Taya crawl, hot tags to Kiera and Diamante! Kiera rallies on Diamante with big forearms, then a SUPERKICK! Turn and NECKBREAKER! Kiera goes up a corner while Diamante flounders around. Diamante stands, into a MISSILE DROPKICK!

Diamante flounders, Grey tags in but Kiera dodges to fire off forearms! Grey shoves back, but Kiera returns to SHOTGUN! Grey flounders, Kiera fires up, and says kiss this! HIP ATTACK in the corner! She sits Grey back down to run and BOOT WASH! Kiera drags Grey to a cover, Diamante breaks it! Diamante gets Grey outta there, and Taya tags in. Taya runs up to mule kick, KNEE LIFT and wrench Kiera, into a BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO! Leyla also gets in, she pushes Taya around. Leyla drags Taya up but Diamante runs in. Leyla gets around to SAIDO! Taya gets Kiera up but Kiera SUPERKICKS!

Kiera brings Taya over, tags Adora, and they feed Taya to the BUBBA BOMB! Body scissor and GEDO CLUTCH! TWO!! Hot tag to Grey, she runs up, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SLINGBLADES! Cover, TWO! Grey is frustrated but she gets Adora up. Underhooks, but Adora breaks that to fireman’s carry! Adora storms over, tags Hirsch, but Grey slips free! Leyla dodges Leila and feeds her to Adora’s BOOT! Then GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Grey survives but Hirsch tags Kiera. Kiera runs, but Taya trips her up! Diamante distracts so the ref misses that! But then Leyla DIVES onto Taya! Diamante CANNONBALLS Leyla!

LARIAT TUBMAN from Adora to Diamante! Kiera dodges Grey to ROUNDHOUSE! And then “That’s all, PERIODT!” FACE THE MUSIC!! Bridging cover, Team Kiera wins!

Winners: Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora, by pinfall

It was fast ‘n’ furious in the end there, but the Hottest Flame burns it down! Will she be first up to strike a match with Billie Starkz?

Backstage interview with Maria Kanellis, Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

Lexi is with the First Lady of Wrestling and her baby boys, the Diamond in the Rough wearing the stolen mask from Serpentico. Lexi congratulates them on their win over Spanish Announce Project at Supercard, but it seems there might be some unfinished business. Are they ever going to give Seprentico his masks back? Karter takes the mask off to say hell no! Griff says Serpentico’s masks mean a lot to him and his lucha libre culture. But uh, they don’t care! It got them the attention that they deserve, and those wins have been a stepping stone in this company.

If Serpentico wants his masks back, he doesn’t need to trick them into a match. They’re happy to beat the crap outta him anytime, anywhere! Maria loves the confidence, and says Griff will need it in his Proving Grounds match against THE ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe. Griff is all fired up, will the Ivy League MVP pass the test with flying colors? Or will he fail to #ManUp?

The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto!

Black Taurus has evolved into something even more menacing than before, and he is looking to stampede all the way to the top of ROH! But Mr. Freak Beast has changed a lot about himself, too, in hopes of finding success. Whose transformation will prove to be for the better as these behemoths collide?

The Code of Honor is upheld reluctantly, the bell rings, and the fans rally up. The two tie up, go around, and Comoroto shoves Mortos down! Mortos gets up in a huff, gets in Comoroto’s face, but Comoroto pie faces him. So Mortos SLAPS Comoroto! Comoroto runs up, Mortos dodges, and they RAM shoulders! Mortos ducks ‘n’ dodges and jumps to RANA! Comoroto goes to a corner but Mortos runs in to UPPERCUT, CLOTHESLINE, and GAMANGIRI! Mortos wrenches and hits an ARMBAR CODE BREAKER! Comoroto staggers, but he blocks the whip! Comoroto shoves Mortos, runs up, but Mortos dodges to then roll off Comoroto’s back!

Mortos tries to hip toss but Comoroto blocks! Comoroto LARIATS Mortos down then rains down fists! Fans are torn as Comoroto huffs ‘n’ puffs and stomps Mortos around. Comoroto digs his boot into Mortos’ face, lets off to soak up heat, then he drags Mortos up. Comoroto scoops to SLAM, then he runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Mortos pounds the mat in frustration. Comoroto slashes his throat, but Mortos throws body shots. Comoroto CLUBS Mortos, Alabama Lifts, but Mortos sunset flips! Comoroto stays up, hauls Mortos up, but Mortos JAWBREKAERS, KNEES and ROCKS Comoroto!

Mortos goes to suplex but Comoroto’s a big guy, too! Comoroto suplexes Mortos, but Mortos knees free! Mortos goes to a corner, Comoroto runs in but Mortos dropkicks the legs out! Comoroto hits buckles, then Mortos runs in, CORNER 619! Comoroto staggers away and Mortos climbs, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Comoroto still has power to spare and he storms up on Mortos. Mortos UPPERCUTS first! Mortos goes to whip but Comoroto blocks again! Comoroto whips Mortos to a corner, runs up, but Mortos slips out to the apron! Comoroto hits buckles, Mortos goes up, and the fans rally! MORTOS TWISTER! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

Comoroto is big and bad but this is a beast of a different breed! Will nothing stop the modern day minotaur from making ROH his domain? Will Jacoby Watts’ teachings ever pay off for Comoroto?

Backstage interview with Nick Comoroto.

Lexi is with Mr. Freakbeast as he returns backstage, and she asks him what his strategy will be moving forward after this tough loss. Jacoby Watts walks in to say, “Turn the page. Start a new chapter. Nothing changes if nothing changes, Nick. It’s a harsh reality. But I am your answer. Your beacon of hope in the darkness. Follow me and I will lead you into the light! For I am Jacoby Watts, the one and only, praise be to he, and he is me.” Watts waxes poetic while making himself the focus, but will Comoroto accept his guidance?

ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis!

The Sussex County Chicken won this title after a war with Eddie Kingston at Supercard, and those two are still going to be friends taking on The House of Black this Sunday! But will Mark be able to focus on tonight with Dynasty on the horizon? Or is this where Maria’s baby boys start building their kingdom?

Mark shows off the belt and its new camouflage patterned leather! The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings and we’re on the clock. The fans cheer on Mark as he circles with Griff. They tie up, Griff headlocks, but Mark powers up and out. Griff sunset flips, but Mark rolls through to drop on the headlock! Griff moves around, fights up, and powers up, but Mark holds tight! Mark hits the takeover, Griff headscissors, but Mark kips free. Roles reverse as Griff headlocks for the takeover, and Mark headscissors. Griff kips free, but Mark shows Redneck Kung-Fu stance and Griff scrambles away! The fans cheer but Maria coaches Griff back up.

Griff cools off, he and Mark reset, and the two circle again. They knuckle lock but Griff kicks low. Griff UPPERCUTS, UPPERCUTS again, then whips corner to corner. Mark goes up and out, SWATS the haymaker to REDNECK KUNG-FU UPPERCUT! Then Mark gets in to BOOT Griff down! Griff is on ropes, Mark runs in to BOOT WASH him right outta the ring! The fans fire up as Mark builds speed, and he DIVES onto Griff! Not the cleanest landing but Mark borrows a hat to put it on! The fans fire up with Mark, he gives the hat back, then drags Griff up to DECK him! Mark drags Griff up again, to scoop and SLAM!

Griff sputters, Mark goes to the apron, and the fans fire up as Mark takes aim. But then Karter and Maria stand in the way! The fans boo, Mark sighs and steps inside, and Maria coaches Griff up. Griff flounders up, the fans rally behind Mark but then Karter and Maria each get on the apron! The ref is busy arguing with Maria but Karter distracts Mark. Griff sneaks in to CLOBBER Mark! Griff fires forearms while the fans boo, but then Griff stomps a mudhole into Mark. The ref counts as Griff digs his boots in, but Griff lets off at 4. But then that lets Karter CHOKE Mark behind the ref’s back!

The fans boo as Karter gets away with one, and Griff drags Mark up. Griff UPPERCUTS, but Mark CHOPS! Griff sputters, Mark CHOPS again! Griff knees low, whips Mark to a corner, but runs into an ELBOW! Mark runs up, into a BOOT! Cover, TWO! Griff clamps onto Mark with a chinlock and he grinds Mark down. The fans rally as Mark endures and fights up. Mark throws body shots, then fires up to CHOP! CHOP! And CHOP! Mark runs, but into the ROLLING ELBOW! Griff then torture racks for the TOWER HACKER BOMB! High stack, TWO! Mark survives and Griff is frustrated but Maria coaches him up.

The fans continue to rally behind Mark as Griff aims again. Griff goes up but Mark REDNECK UPPERCUTS! Griff gets caught up in ropes, Mark lets him loose so he can fall to the floor. Karter hurries over, but Mark goes up to PLANCHA both baby boys! The fans are thunderous, and Mark cracks open a can of WOOOOO Energy! Mark chugs it, bangs the can against his head, then gets Griff in the ring. The fans fire up as Mark runs corner to corner, but Griff BOOTS him! Mark comes back to LARIAT! The fans fire up, Mark reels Griff in, but Griff wrenches out, only for Mark to LARIAT! Mark hauls Griff up again for underhooks!

Mark lifts, for the JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Mark wins!

Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (denies Griff Garrison a title opportunity)

Maria is upset but there’s nothing she can do, her baby boy wasn’t man enough to stop the NEW ROH World Champion! Will Mark continue to carry on his brother’s legacy and become one of the best champions in ROH history?

My Thoughts:

A very good episode of ROH for being 92 minutes. I still skipped some very clear filler, but Marti Belle got a good showing in her loss to Frost and The Dark Order got a good match out of Zak & Frank. Cruz, Damian & Savion got an okay showing but c’mon, they were against Archer & The Righteous, those guys have been running through everyone. It hasn’t really led them to anything yet, but maybe after we get undisputed AEW & ROH World Trios Champions after Dynasty, Archer & Righteous challenge the winners. And real good wins for Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson, each guy looking good towards midcard titles at some point.

Really good match from Infantry VS Savages, with the Savages being a bit more Heelish this time. Good win for Infantry, but I didn’t think The Premier Athletes would be going after them first. And I didn’t expect Faces like Keith, Lee and Briscoe to run out to get at them. Maybe the Premier Athletes can also position themselves to go after the trios titles after Dynasty. If The Acclaimed win, they’ll need Heel opponents. Archer & Righteous can play either side, but fans really like Archer so I kinda want him and Righteous to be Faces when facing Bang Bang Gang.

Good match and good win for Abadon over Allysin. Good win for Kiera, Leyla & Adora, though things got a little sloppy in the middle, Leyla’s timing wasn’t quite there. Athena & Billie are both Heels, so while Queen Aminata is in the mix, the champion she doesn’t choose still needs a good Face challenger so you can take your pick of the winners from tonight. Really good match from Mortos and Comoroto, and Mortos winning also helped serve Comoroto’s story with Watts. Watts keeps insisting he’s the answer, but this has to lead to Comoroto breaking free and beating Watts up for his arrogance.

Good promo from Maria, Griff & Karter, and they just kinda copy-pasted Mark Briscoe’s promo from Collision that same Saturday. Really good match for Griff against Mark but of course Mark wins. Mark getting involved with Premier Athletes, maybe Woods or Nese get a shot at Mark only to lose and be Mark’s solid first defense. Not sure who could be a more prolonged feud with Mark, but there are plenty of possibilities, and I’m just happy to see him showing up on ROH TV as the ROH World Champion should.